1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to strollers for children, in particular strollers that are easily folded to a stored, compact configuration.
2. Description of Related Art
Well-designed strollers should be sturdy and balanced. It should afford the child passenger safe and comfortable transport. The adult user should find the stroller easy to maneuver, easy to fold and unfold, and easy to handle when folded. It should have features that make it versatile and convenient. And it should be simple in design, rugged and reliable. Foldable strollers are known that address some of these criteria.
A conventional folding stroller has a plurality of wheels supporting an articulated frame that has two spaced front legs, two spaced rear legs, a pair of push arms, and a crossbar connected at its laterally outer ends to the push arms. The crossbar can be provided with a pair of laterally spaced gripping surfaces that can be engaged by a user when driving the stroller, and a handle assembly disposed between the gripping surfaces. The stroller further includes a pair of fold latches associated with the push arms that operate to lock the stroller frame in the erect (open) position and to unlock the stroller frame, thereby allowing the frame to fold to a closed position.
A cable or other motion transfer mechanism is disposed within the stroller frame, and is connected between the handle assembly and the fold latches. Accordingly, a user can actuate (typically rotate) the handle, which converts the rotational motion and applies a linear force to the cable to lock and release the fold latches, thereby permitting the stroller to fold and unfold.
It is further desirable to maximize the versatile utility of the stroller. For this reason, conventional strollers include a plurality of accessories. One such accessory is a cup holder, one or more of which are provided proximate to the child seat for the storage of, for instance, a beverage of the seated occupant. Unfortunately, cup holders can interfere with the stroller frame when the stroller is articulated to its folded configuration. Cup holders can further occupy space near the child seat, and therefore interfere with the ingress and egress of the child into and out of the child seat. Furthermore, even if the cup holder does not interfere with the frame, it may nevertheless be prone to damage, particularly when the stroller is folded. In order to reduce the risk of damage to the cup holder, and to facilitate easy stroller folding, conventional cup holders are either manually retractable into a protective pocket, or removable altogether. Unfortunately, user effort is required to remove or retract the cup holder. Furthermore, the user can forget to remove or retract the cup holder, thus rendering the cup holder susceptible to damage.
What is therefore needed is a cup holder that retracts, or stows, automatically from an extended position as the stroller is folded. It would also be further desirable for the cup holder to be positioned out of interference with the ingress and egress of the child into and out of the child seat when the cup holder is in the extended position.